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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · wax · trunk · present · track · spell · bass · tear

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. present — there
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. spell — a short time
  5. present — the time now
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spell — magic
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wind — moving air
  15. track — a song
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spell — letters
  18. track — to keep track
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. track — a path
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. present — a gift
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com